One of the most essential skills to the practice of orthopaedic trauma surgery is drilling along a particular trajectory in a bone. In the operating room, drills are aligned with a fluoroscope, a portable X-ray machine. After making an incision, the surgeon positions the drill on the outer surface of the bone both by feeling the curve and landmark features of the bone with the drill tip and by looking through the incision. Then the surgeon orients the drill towards the target position by referring to fluoroscopic images, generally taken from two different directions. Training orthopaedic surgical residents or practicing orthopaedic surgeons to acquire or improve this skill is problematic. One approach to learning this skill is to practice on cadavers. Yet, practicing on cadavers is difficult because the radiography machines are large, expensive, and they expose workers and the environment to radiation. Also, they generally require a technician to operate the machine and technicians and machines are primarily scheduled for use in the operating room. In addition, cadaver parts themselves are relatively expensive. Although rubber and plastic models may be used instead, these models are also expensive.
Although surgical simulators exist, known systems may be prohibitively expensive, lack precision, or otherwise deficient thereby discouraging use. Consequently, rigorous practice is often neglected in favor of operating room experience. What is needed is the ability to practice surgical skills of wire navigation without cadaveric tissue or the need of a fluoroscope and which is relatively low cost.